GDC News Round-Up Day One: Battlefield 3 SP Footage, Microsoft Says PC Gaming Isn't Dead, Magicka: Vietnam (No, Seriously), Tons More

Posted 03/03/2011 at 2:31am | by Nathan Grayson

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We're on the ground at the Game Developer's Conference, and – to put it as eloquently as possible – stuff is happening. New games, old games, release dates, bold proclamations about the state of the gaming industry – there's a little (or a lot of) something for everyone. Now imagine if there was a single place where you could find all of that information. How ecstatic would you be? Ecstatic enough to click a button? Ecstatic enough to read more? Well then, click that button to, you know, read more.

PCGA Reports “Significant Growth” for PC Gaming in 2010 – Long story short: a whopping 20 percent increase to the tune of $16.2 billion dollars. China, of course, contributed the most with $4.8 billion, but precisely zero regions showed any sort of decline in PC gaming. Which leads us to...

Microsoft: “PC Gaming is Not Dead” – Whoa, what? No way.

First Battlefield 3 Single-Player Footage Drops (The Ball?) – DICE has released a solid, uninterrupted nearly three minutes of Battlefield 3 single-player footage, and it's... divisive. On one hand, it's absolutely, mind-blowingly gorgeous. On the other, though, it's Call of Duty. Scripted, linear, full of tight spaces and small, scripted skirmishes while some guy barks orders at you. It's Call of Duty in a Battlefield costume, and we're really not sure how to feel about that. However, we saw a live gameplay demo of the game during the show, and after we've digested it a bit more, we'll have our full impressions up on the site.  

Notch on Piracy: “If a Pirated Game is a Lost Sale, Should Bad Reviews be Illegal?” – Minecraft creator Notch gave other developers a nice tongue-lashing for their restrictive approaches to piracy. The gist? If people aren't willingly buying your game, then maybe you're the one at fault. “If you just make your and keep adding to it, the people who copyright infringed would buy it the next week,” he concluded.

Minecraft Creator Announces New Game, It's Not What You Expected – Hypothetical situation: you've just created a brand new indie sensation – let's call it “Brineshaft” – and it's time to begin work on your next project. What would you do? Did you say, “make a fantasy strategy title with collectible card game elements”? Well, that's what Minecraft creator Notch is doing. Meanwhile, you're probably conforming by working on Brineshaft 2, which leads us to the obvious follow up-question: what the hell is a Brineshaft?

Magicka: Vietnam Is a Thing That Exists – This is hilarious. Magicka – already known for its formidable mastery over the spell that is parody – is aiming its lampoon gun at an entirely unexpected target: Vietnam. Yep, fantasy wizards fighting in the wartorn jungles of Vietnam. If anyone else were doing it, we'd be horrifically offended. As is, we can't stop giggling.

Serious Sam 3: BFE Coming This Summer – Two words: 16-player co-op. (Or is that four words? Three? Damn hyphen science and its diabolical complexities!)

Alice: Madness Returns Dated for June 14 – This long overdue sequel looks grim and stylish, and word on the show floor is that it plays like a dream. Which is a good sign, because it's nearly finished. Fingers crossed that it lives up to its potential. (Also, it'd be the first good thing with American McGee's seemingly cursed name attached to it in ages. Even so, Bad Day LA. Never forget, everyone. Never forget.)